Chrono Trigger: The Light of Fire
by Child of Ragnarok
Summary: Following the tragic death of Marle, Crono falls into a depression. Now it's up to a certain bespectacled someone to help him find his way back to the light... Crono/Lucca pairing, rated T for character death.
1. Lost in Darkness

**Chrono Trigger: The Light of Fire**

**Chapter 1: Lost in Darkness**

* * *

As usual these days, Crono just lay on his bed in his mother's house, just staring up into the ceiling. He had done so for a month now, hardly sleeping, hardly eating. His thoughts strayed to the time when it happened…

* * *

--Flashback--

_It was Crono and Marle's first anniversary, and the two were still one of the happiest couples one could imagine. They had everything you could wish for: money, love, and Marle was pregnant with their first child. They had already settled on the names: Glenn if it was a boy and Ayla if it was a girl._

_Crono suggested going out for a little leisure trip around Guardia and Marle gladly accepted._

_They climbed into the royal carriage and gladly went on their ride. But then, as they passed Porre, the horse was scared by a Poly rolling out in front of them. The horse ran out of control, and before either Crono or Marle could do anything to stop him, he ran over the edge of the cliffs and fell into the ocean, dragging Crono and Marle with him._

_When Crono came to, he was in Guardia Castle, his anxious mother and Lucca watching by his side._

"_Where's Marle?" was the first thing he said._

"_Crono…" said Lucca, and then she burst into tears. That was all the answer Crono needed._

"_Her body washed ashore near Choras," his mother explained to him. "The most skilled healers in the world tried their abilities, ranging from Cure to Life 2, but to no avail. I'm sorry, Crono, but Marle is gone."_

"_And so is our…" Crono wailed, realizing that their unborn child had died with its mother. Shock claimed him, and he collapsed back on the bed._

--End flashback--

* * *

Crono's mother knocked on his door and entered. She carried today's dinner on a tray. His favorite jerky, following a recipe Ayla had taught her. She nearly smiled at the memory of the uplifting girl with the limited vocabulary, but as usual, her son's plight made it disappear. She just placed the tray on his bedside table, and he gave her a glance and attempted a grateful smile, which ended up as a painful wince.

The poor woman knew all too well what her son was going through: his father had died in an ambush on the roads by some robbers, while she was still pregnant with Crono. Too bad Lucca had carried out her suggestion and dismantled the Epoch…

Now, it was obvious to Crono's mother that he wasn't going to open up to her. Then who could… all of a sudden, she knew the solution, and she left the house, locked up, and left for her destination.

* * *

"So, Gina, what brings you here?" Lara asked Crono's mother as Taban directed his automatic tea boiler to pour some tea for him, Lara, Chrono's mother, and Lucca. "Something to do with Crono?"

"Yes, it is," said Crono's mother in a defeated tone. "He seems to be losing his spark. He won't talk, he hardly eats, and he becomes completely unresponsive if I try to tell him to prepare for Marle's upcoming funeral."

Taban gave a nod. "Yes, I've seen it before, how people who lose their loves become completely apathetic. They'll cut all bonds with the outside world and eventually, they might even become suicidal to join their loved ones."

Lucca's eyes widened. "So you're telling me that Crono might kill himself?!"

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case," said Taban. "I suppose that's why Gina has come here, right?"

"Correct," said Crono's mother. "As a matter of fact, I came here to ask if you, Lucca, could try to get him to open up a bit. He won't for me, and since you know him better than anyone except for Marle, I thought maybe you could…"

"I… I don't know," said Lucca. "I've had my own trouble trying to cope with Marle's death, and besides, I might only make it worse…"

"Nonsense," said Taban. "Crono needs a friend by his side now. Don't you think Crono would have done the same for you?"

"Well, from that point of view…" Lucca said, and then followed up with a more tactful: "Of course I'll go and talk to him. I don't know how it'll help, but I'll go."

* * *

A few minutes later, Crono's mother led Lucca into the residence. She showed him up to his room.

"Thank you," she whispered, and gave Lucca a brief hug. Lucca returned it, braced herself, and entered Crono's room.

Crono looked up as she entered, and then resumed staring at the ceiling. He only looked up for a moment, but she had seen enough. The energetic sparkle in his eye was completely eradicated, now replaced by a blackness that could only mean extreme misery.

"Oh, Crono…" Lucca managed to choke out, tears forming in her eyes because of Crono's condition. Looking around the room, she saw that the curtains were down, and the room was lit only by a single candle. Crono hadn't touched his Ioka jerky.

He suddenly sat up, which was more progress than Lucca had anticipated in the beginning. He looked up at her, and said: "Hey, Lucca."

So much pain focused in one voice. Crono was teetering on the brink of suicide, and Lucca knew it. She sat down next to him. "How do you feel?"

"I… I don't know," said Crono, glancing down. Lucca put her arm around him. "Half of me feel like I should get over her, but she was bearing our child and I loved her…"

"I know how you feel, Crono," said Lucca comfortingly. "I loved her too, in a friendly fashion."

"I… I even suggested that we should go on that trip. If I hadn't done that, Marle wouldn't have…" Crono suddenly started to hiccup and then he started to cry. Lucca knew he had long denied himself these tears, and she put her arms around him and hugged him to her, stroking his hair as he cried into her shoulder. She felt her tears well up again and did nothing to stop them.

"You couldn't have foreseen it," she murmured into his hair. "Nobody could have. It was an accident, it wasn't your fault."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Crono muttered, slightly muffled against her shoulder.

"Remember my mother?" Lucca said in response. Crono swallowed. Of course Lucca knew what she was talking about, since she had blamed herself for the accident with her mother's legs. "I know it's not the same thing, since I fixed that, but I learned that you can't beat yourself up over an accident."

She let him go and looked at her watch. "It's getting late. I should get back home."

Crono didn't look too surprised. "OK. Take care, Lucca."

"Don't worry about me, you dummy," Lucca smirked. "Worry about yourself instead. I'll be back tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek. "Get some sleep." As Lucca was about to leave, she glanced back over the shoulder. Crono had followed her advice, snoring loudly on his bed. Lucca made the journey home with a smile on her face.


	2. Coming Back

**Chapter 2: Coming Back**

* * *

Over the next week, Crono's mother saw a massive increase in her son's mood. He would actually get out of his room from time to time, and after a few days since Lucca started visiting him, he started wolfing down his food instead of hardly touching it. He even smiled a bit from time to time, and he started confiding in his mother about how he felt.

One day, as Crono and Lucca were sitting and talking, Lucca stumbled in on the topic they both knew must come up sometime, but neither really wanted to think about.

"You know, Marle's funeral is in a week…" she began, not knowing what to say.

Chrono nodded, and then looked shocked. "Oh, gods. Lucca, I'm not sure I can handle it. It'll feel too… definite."

Lucca knew what he meant. She, too, had been dreading it. "Look, Crono, you have to know that nobody will be forcing you to attend it. In fact, people will very well understand if you don't." She could hardly look at him.

"But if I don't go, I will regret it for the rest of my life, and besides, what would Marle think of me?" Some of the old determined Crono was resurfacing, much to Lucca's joy. "No, I'd be an idiot if I don't go to my own wife's funeral."

"That's the spirit!" Lucca grabbed him in a bear hug. This time, Crono returned it.

"Thank you, Lucca," he whispered in her ear. Nothing since Crono's revival had made Lucca so happy. Something woke up within Lucca, more than just friendly affection: it was love. Genuine love for the man in front of her, the man whom she had saved the world with, and brought back from death. But she knew she couldn't say or do anything while Crono was still dealing with Marle. Plus, who was she kidding anyway? He only wanted Marle.

She surpressed a sigh. Seems like she wouldn't get anything she wanted, with Magus having gone back to his time and Crono now having having lost Marle, his supposed one love.

_I'm so selfish_, she thought to herself, still in Crono's arms. _Crono needs Lucca, not some lovesick wreck. I have to surpress this crush somehow…_

* * *

At last, the day of the funeral arrived. For the occasion, Crono wore a white tunic and kept his unwieldy hair in place with a golden headband that King Guardia had given him. By his side hung his Rainbow.

He heard someone say his name, and turned around. There stood Lucca, who was amazingly pretty, with a new hairdo (albeit a rather makeshift one) and she wore a dress as opposed to her usual tunic. And she ditched the helmet in favor of a diadem, Crono noted.

Lucca looked at Crono, and could hardly believe how hot he was in that outfit. How could she have missed that hunk? _Hardly an appropriate time to think about this_, she scolded herself, but without any real feeling.

She caught Crono's eye, and saw the grief in them. Maybe not as express as when Marle had just died, but it was still there. Despite some disapproving glances from a few nobles, Lucca walked straight up to Crono and hugged him gently. Crono returned the gesture, and they both took a seat in the front row of the cathedral.


End file.
